top dog
noun
: a person, group, or thing in a position of authority especially through victory in a hard-fought competition
Examples of top dog in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
At the annual World’s Ugliest Dog contest at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma, an 8-year-old Pekingese from Oregon named Wild Thang finally became top dog.
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Nhat V. Meyer, The Mercury News, 22 June 2024
Vance has been seen lobbying top dogs in Silicon Valley on behalf of Trump, and is just one of many loyal supporters having made the trek to his hush money trial in New York.
—Jeongyoon Han, NPR, 6 June 2024
While New York City is no longer top dog, its watering holes occupy second, third, and fourth place with Superbueno, Overstory, and Martiny’s, respectively.
—Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Apr. 2024
The reigning state finalist Cougars and state semifinalist Mustangs may keep county foes up at night surmising game plans, but the two top dogs enter with different internal expectations.
—Sam Cohn, Baltimore Sun, 20 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for top dog 
Nhat V. Meyer, The Mercury News, 22 June 2024
Vance has been seen lobbying top dogs in Silicon Valley on behalf of Trump, and is just one of many loyal supporters having made the trek to his hush money trial in New York.
—Jeongyoon Han, NPR, 6 June 2024
While New York City is no longer top dog, its watering holes occupy second, third, and fourth place with Superbueno, Overstory, and Martiny’s, respectively.
—Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Apr. 2024
The reigning state finalist Cougars and state semifinalist Mustangs may keep county foes up at night surmising game plans, but the two top dogs enter with different internal expectations.
—Sam Cohn, Baltimore Sun, 20 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for top dog
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'top dog.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Top dog.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/top%20dog. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
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